Monday, August 31, 2015

(Dhandha Devi is
the thanthric form of Goddess
Lakshmi .Chanting this
Kavacha three times a day for 36 days
is supposed to please Goddess
Lakshmi and increase your wealth. THe sanskrit original of this Kavacha is available in http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_devii/dhanadaakavach.html?lang=en-IN )

Sri Devyuvacha:-

Dhanadhaya maha
vidhyaa kadithaan prakasithaa ,

Idhaneem srothumichami
Kavacham poorva soochitham

The Goddess
asked:-

1.The great knowledge
of Dhandha devi has been
earlier made public ,

And I wish to hear
that Armour as indicated by
you earlier.

Sri Shiva Uvacha
:-

2.Srunu Devi
pravachami kavacham manthra vigraham,

Saarath saratharam
devi kavacham man mukhditham,

3.Dhanadhaa
kavachasyasyaa Kubhere Rishir itha
,

Panditha chandhi
devathecha Dhanadhaa sidhidhaa
sadaa

Lord Shiva said:-

2-3.Oh Goddess Please hear the armour
which I would be reciting ,

Which is a personification of Manthra,

Which is meaning
of Meanings .

For the armour of giver of wealth , Khubera
is the sage ,

The Meter is Panditha
, The Dhanadha is the God
addressed for powers.

4.Dharmartha kama
moksheshu viniyoga
prakeerthathe ,

,Dham bheejam may
Sira pahi , Hreem bheeja, may lalatakam,

4.For the sake of getting Dharma , wishes and salvayion, I start the chant.

Sunday, August 30, 2015

(Bhairava is considered as an incarnation of Lord Shiva by some
people and as an assistant to Lord Shiva by I others. There is a legend that he was created by Lord Shiva to pinch off one head of Lord Brahma when due to pride Brahma misbehaved with him. He is considered as the
chief of security of the town of
Varanasi (kotwal) and
Adhi Sankara has written a
mellifluous prayer addressed to Kala Bhairava in Varanasi . But Bhairava is also worshipped by Thanthrics of Hindu and Buddhist religions. There is a temple dedicated to Swarna
Akarshana Bhairava in Dindukal city of Tamil Nadu .Unlike other forms of Bhairava , swarnakarshana Bhairava
has a pleasand look and sits
along with his consort. It is believed that by worshipping him , you would become wealthy . IN this
translation , I have given the Swarna Akarshana
Manthra in the beginning and the prayer addressed to him
afterwards . The text of these is available in DEvanagaei script
in http://www.bharatiweb.com/wp-content/uploads/Swarnakarshana-Bhairava-Stotram-Dev-v1.pdf

I do not know how
this Manthra has to be
chanted .Many of the astrological web
sites are giving conflicting methods . Here first the manthra is given and later the stotra, )

I,Swarnakashana Bhairava Manthra.

Om Asya swaranakarshhana BHairava
stotra maha manthrasya ,

Brahma Rishi ,
anushtup chanda. Sri Swarakarshana
Bhairavo devatha ,

Hreem bheejam ,
kleem Shakthi , sa keelakam ,

Mama daridrya nasarthe
pate viniyoga

Om for the great manthra
addressed to The BHairava who
attracts gold,

The sage is Brahma
, the meter is anushtup , the God
addressed is SWarnakarshana BHairava,

Hreem is the seed
, Kleem is the power and it
is the nail also,

This is being read to
eradicate my poverty,

Rishi nyasa:-

Brahmarishye nama sirasi
,

Anushtup chandase
nama mukhe ,

Swarnakarshana
BHairavaya nama hrudhi ,

Hreem bheejaya
nama guhye,

Kleem
shaskthye nama paadahayo ,

SA keelakaya
nama Nabhou,

Viniyogaya nama
sarvange ,

Hraam Hreem , Hroom
ithi shadanga nyasa

The ritual to the
saint

Salutation to
Brahma rishi on the head ,

Salutations to Anushtup meter on the face

Salutations to
Swarnakarshana Bhairava on the
chest ,

Salutations to the root
hreem, on the private parts ,

Salutations to
the the nail on the belly ,

Salutations to I begin, on all limbs,

The six part limb ritual is Hraam, hreem anf hroom.

Dhyanam

Parijatha druma kanthare sthithe
manikhya mandape ,

Simhasana gatham
vandhr bhairavam swarna dhayakam,

Gangeya pathram
damarum , trisoolam varam
kara sandatham trinethram,

Devyayutham thaptha svarna
varna swarnakarshana bhairavam Asrayami

I decide to
depend on SWarnakarshana BHairava
who sits on the throne

In the Gem
studded stage which is in the forest of Parijatha
plants ,

And who is
the one who gives gold and who holds
a pot of Gangfa water ,

Om Iym sreem
Iym Sreem to one
who saves us from danger , hraam
, hreem, hroom one who killed
Ajamala ,One who is the Lord of the world , One who is the Bhairava who attracts
gold , One who hates my poverty
, One who is the great Bhairava
sreem, hreem Iym.

( The works of Manikka
Vasagar the great saint of Tamil saivism is the first part of the Thirumurai , the
key religious text of Tamil
Saivism. His works which are poems
written while he visited
various temples of Tamil Nadu is
called THiruvasagam. There is a saying in Tamil , that he who does not melt before Thiruvasagam will
not be affected by any other work,. Manikka Vasagar settled down
in the temple town of Chidambaram .Most of his great work has been
inscribed on the walls of the great temple at Chidambaram,

This twoi
verse poem , which was written in Chidambaram , makes him imagine himself as the
commander of the army to win over the travails of Samsara and conquer the world of Lord Shiva. .He tells them , what
weapons to take and also instructs how the
army formations have to fight.)

(Bhagwat(a),
literally the story of God is essentially the story of Lord Vishnu .After writing the 18 Puranas , Veda Vyasa was not satisfied and the God asked him this great book, which is the pinnacle of all his work.Here is a small but soulful song of worship of the God of the Bhagwatha in Hindi
used to worship that great book and the God of that great book.)

Bhagwat bhagwan ki hai arti, -This is the worship of
the god of Bhagwatha

Monday, August 24, 2015

(One visitor who introduced himself as SAthamangalam Venkatraman is said to have composed five songs called Sri Ramana
sthuthi Panchakam(five songs on Ramana
) when he was in Virupakshi cave .This is the first song of those five songs.
Interestingly it is similar to a suprabatham
to Ramana as well as God Shiva
as Arunachaleswara. I understand the five prayers of this Pancharathnam are sung on Saturdays in the Ramanashram. I was attracted by its simplicity and am
translating because of it)

1Arunan udithana aruna giri thannil ,

Azhagiya Ramanare
Vaarum,

Arunachalesare vaarum

1.In the red mountain
the early morning sun has risen up .

Oh Pretty Ramana
, please come ,

Oh Lord of the
red mountain , please come

2.Chalai
kuyilosai kalayir koovithu,

Sar guru Ramanare
varum,

Sambhavi
pakare vaarum

2,In the road the
koel has sung ,

Oh Guru Ramana who teaches only truth please come ,

Oh Lord of
Parvathi please come

3.Sangam olithathu
, tharakai mangina ,

Ingitha Ramanare
vaarum,

Eesa suresare
vaarum

3.The conches boomed, the stars have dimmed,

Oh Ramana who is
very nice to us , please come,

Oh God , who
is the lord of Devsa, please come

4,Kozhikal koovina
, kurukgal iyambina ,

Nazhigai aachuthu
vaarum ,

Bodha swaroopare
vaarum.

4.The cocks have
crows, the birds are making sound,

The time is
late , please come,

Oh Lord who has
form of wisdom, Please come.

5.Chinnangal
kakalam perikai yarthana ,

Ponnanga Ramanare
Vaarum,

Bodha
swaroopare vaarum,

5.The auspicious Kakalas and Drums havr made sound,

Oh Ramana , with
the gold like body , please come,

Oh Lord who
has the form of wisdom come

6.Kakamum karainthathu
, kalayum aayithi ,

Naga baranare
Vaarum,

Nanjani
gandare vaarum,

6.The crows have crowed, it has become the n morn,

Oh Lord wearing snake as ornament , please come,

Oh Lord who wears poison
on his neck, please come

7.Karpanai
ozhinthathu , kamalangal alarnthana ,

Virpana
Ramanare Vaarum,

Vedantha
roopare vaarum.

7.Our thoughts
have disappeared, the lotus of wisdom has opened,

Oh Ramana who is
an expert , please come,

Oh Lord who has the form of Philosophy , please come

8.Mukkuna rahithare
, mukthi naadalvore ,

SArguna
Ramanare Vaarum,

SAntha swroopare
Vaaruym

8.Oh Lord without three qualities , Oh Lord who rules over place of salvation,

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Brahmendral was
a saint who lived in The Thanjavur district in the seventeenth centaury(1680-1755 or
1781) . He was the contemprory of the musical trinity of Thiruvayyaru. He was the disciple of Parameshwara
Yogeendral who was the matadhipathi of the
Kumbakonam mutt(57th Peetadhipathi) at that
tyime .He believed that
God can not only be attained by
Jnana, BHkthi and Karma Yogas but also
through Nada Yoga .He is supposed toi have walked nude all over the present Kumbakonam, THanjavur and
Pudul kottai districts. Several miracles
have been ascribed to him. He has written several philosophical treatises
, a book about Peetadhipathis of the
Kumbakonam Mutt and 24 compositions .His compositions are in simple sweet and easily understandable Sanskrit and they are
extremely sweet and mellifluous to hear. These are the real proof of the saying

“Singing a song once in absolute melody is equivalent to
worship of God through Dhyana one crore times.”

Because of
that they are extremely popular . The Saint attained
Jeeva Samadhi in Nerur near Karur town
of Tamil Nadu .Every year his devotees arrange for an Aradhana to Brahmendral at this place . The 33rd Pontiff of The Sringeri
Mutt HH Sri Sri SAchidananda
Shivabhinava Narasimha Bharathi
Swamigal (who lived about 100 years back ) it seems spent 4 days on the Samadhi
to learn Kundalini Yoga from this great saint .Onlookers were amazed that
the Swamigal entered in to a
conversation with Brahmendral on the
fourth day .That great savant composed a
prayer addressed to Sadashiva
Brahmendral,. From that time , every
new incumbent for the Sringeri Peetham visits Nerur to pay Homage to
SAdashiva Brahmendral , I
consider myself as blessed
because I had the rare opportunity of translating in to English all the Krithis of Sadashiva Brahmendral. An AAradhanai is conducted by the Devotees of Brahmendral every
year .In this AAradhana , five selected songs
of the saint are sung viz THunga
tharange Gange , Pibare Rama Rasam , Bhajare Gopalam , Manasa SAnchara re
and Bhaja re Yadhunatham I am giving below the translation of
Sadashivendra Brahma Rathnam .

Sri Sadashivendra Pancha rathna Stotram

By

HH Sri Sri
SAchidananda Shivabhinava Narasimha
Bharathi Swamiga

Translated by

P.R.Ramachanderl

1.Yath sandarsana mathradh Bhakthir jathapyaviddha karnasya,

Thatha
sandarasana madhunaa
kruthwaa noonam krutharthosmi

1,As soon as one
sees devotion flows
without stop from the ears,

And the honey of
that visit indeed makes me grateful.

2.Yo anisam
aathmanyeva hyaathmaanam sandaddhiyyam,

Basmacchanannala
yiva jada kruthischarathi tham noumi.

2.He without any stop
with his soul bestows on other souls,

Like the fire secretly
making the ash and gave
stunning compositions, I salute him.

3. Yasya vinokana
mathrachethasi sanjayathi seegram ,

Vairagya Machala akhileshvapi vishayeshu
, pranoumi tham yaminam

3. He
playfully using his intelligence with speed composes ,

In those saintly ,
stable and universal
subjects, and I salute that saint

4.Puratho
bhavathu krupabdhi pura vaira
nishta manasa soayam,

Parama shivendra
karabja sanjatho ya
sadashivendro may .

4.Earlier that ocean of mercy became himself one whose mind is absorbed by Lord
Shiva,

And this Sadashivendra was born out of the lotus hands of Paramashivendra(his Guru) .

Friday, August 21, 2015

(Mani Karnika Ghat is
one of the very ancient Ghats of
Varanasi .This is very close to Temple
of Lord Kasiviswanath .It is also one of
the largest cremation grounds in Ganga. There is a Mani Karika temple and
Mani Karnika Khund established there by
Lord Vishnu.This great prayer is addressed
to Mani Karnika temple by
Shankara Bhagawath Pada)

1.Thwatheere
Manikarnike Hariharou Sayujya mukthi pradhou,

Vadanthou kurutha
parasparamubhou jantho prayanothsave
,

Madd roopo
nanujo ayam asthu harinaa
prokthaa , shivasthatkshanath,

Than madhyadh
abdhu gulanchano
garudagapeethambaronirgatha.

1.Oh Manikarnika ,
when in your banks Lord Shiva and Lord
Vishnu ,

Who can grant salvation
at the time of death , were arguing
with each other ,

And when Lord
Vishnu toild him , “This man would
assume my form,”

At that time from
the middle of that being, Lord Vishnu having
,

The symbol of sage
Brugu on him , came out on the Garuda
wearing the yellow silk.

2.Indradhyasthridasa yakadanthi niyatham bjoga kshaye they puna,

Jaayanthe manujaas
thathobhi pasava keetaa pathangadhaya,

Ye Mathar
manikarnike thava jalr
majjanthi nishkalmashaa,

Sayujyebhi kireeda
kousthubha darsaa Narayana yasur Bara.

2,Indra and other
devas try to climb up but even they,

After they exhaust the
result of blessed deeds are born as,

A human being or
as a worm and Oh Mother Manikarnika ,

Those beings who
bathe in your sacred waters are
free from any stain,

And would assume the form Of salvation of lord Narayana,

Wearing a crown and the gem called Kausthubha.

3.Kasi
dhanyathama vimuktha nagari
saalankruthaa Gangayaa,

Thathreyam mani
karnika sukha karimukthirhi thath kinkari,

Swarloka sthulitha
sa haiva vibudhai kasyam samam
Brahmana m

Kasi kshonithale
sthithaa gurutharasas
Swargho laghuthwam gathaa

3.The ciry of Kasi as decorated by river ganges as a very blessed town,

And there Manikarnika is pleasant and is like a maid
servant called “salvation”,

And even the
heavens as well as land of Brahma are weighed and compared to Kasi,

And being heavier Kasi is down on earth and Heavens being light are on the top.

4.Ganga theeramanuthamam
hi sakalam thathrapi kasyuthama,

Thasyaam saa
Manikarnikothamouthama
yethreswaro mukthidha,

Devanamabhi durlabham
stalamidham Papougha nasanam,

Poorvaparjitha
punya punjagamakam punyair janai
prapyathe .

4.The banks of Ganga are
incomparable and everything is
there, and there in the great Benares,

The ManiKarnina is the best among the best as Lord
Shiva grants salvation there,

And this place is
difficult for even Devas to get as
all sins are destroyed there,

And it can can be
attained only due to blessed
deeds of previous births and People get blessings there.

5.Dukhambodhi nimagna janthu nivahasthesham kadham
nishkruthi ,

Jnathwa thathi
virinchinaa Varanasi sarmadhaa,

Lokaa swarga mukas thathopi lagavo bogantha patha
pradhaa,

Kasi mukthi puri
sadaa Shivakari dharmartha Moksha
pradhaa.

5.This Benares
was created by Lord Brahms for removing
the Sorrow,

Of all those p people
who are drowned in the
ocean of sorrow ,

The heaven and the worls above give us pleasure first and
downfall later ,

But this Benares
which is a city of salvation is a place giving us Dharma , wealth as
well as salvation.

6.Yeko Venu dharo , Dharaadharadgara Sri Vathsa bhoosha
dhara ,

Yopyeka khilka
shankaro Visha dharo Gangadharo
Madhava ,

Ye Mathar Mani
karnike thava jale
majjanthi the Manava ,

Rudraa vaa
harayo bhavanthi bahavasthesham
bahuthwam Kadham,

6,Hari is the only one who carries a flute, mountain as well as Srivathsa,

Lord Shiva is the
only one who carries the poison , Ganges
and hew is asame as Hari,

All those human beings
who take bth in this Manikarnika
ghat,

Would rise up
from there as Hari or shiva and where is pluarality for them.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

(I found this great collection of prayers in a book called
Srimad Bhajanamrutham published by
Sri Gopala krishna Nama Prachara Sabha . The information given about the
temples in the prayers about them are
really great .There are both Vaishnavite
/Shaivite temples as well as Temples
from all over India.)

Here are a sloka
each about several religious
related books, things as well as
several temples of India from a
book called Srimad Bhajanamrutham
in Tamil .

1,Puranam

(There are 18
sacred epics IN Hinduism.
These have been written (compiled ) by
the sage Veda Vyasa.Ramayana is a separate epic which was written by
sage Valmiki)

Aalodya sarva sathraani ,

Vicharya cha puna
puna ,

Idham yekam sunishpannam,

Dhyayo Narayana
sadaa

Epics

They are mixture of all Sastras.

Which again and again discuss

And in one place
everything has been brought out,

And they always think
about Narayana.

2.Ramayanam

(Ramayana or the
story of Rama was written by sage Valmiki .Hindus believe that it is the first
epic written in Hinduism. Several versions as well as translations were later
made of this great book.)

Icchamo hi maha bahum ,

Raghu veeram Maha
balam,

Gajena mahatha
yantham ,

Ramam chathraa vruthananam.

Ramayanam

I like very much
that long armed one ,

Who is the valorous one of Raghu clan , who is very
strong ,

Who is much stronger
than the elephant,

And who is Rama over whom an umbrella is held.

3.Bharatham

(Mahabharatha is
possibly the greatest and largest book of Hinduism and is the story of the war between Pandavas and Kauravas. This again was written
by sage Veda Vyasa.)

Ananyaschinthayantho maam,

Ye janaa paryupasathe
,

THesham nithyabhi
yukthanam,

Yogakshemam
vahamyaham.

Bharatham

The day to
day welfare of those people who worship
me ,

Without thinking about any other thing , would be taken
care of by me.

4.Bhagawatham

(This again another great
great epic written by Sage
Vyasa after he completed
writing the eighteen Puranas .Though it is the story of all the nine
incarnations of Lord Vishnu, It deals
more extensively with the story
of Lord Krishna and is more known as
the story of Krishna,)

NIgamakalpa
tharorgalitham balam ,

Shukamukath
amrutha drava samyutham,

Pibatha
bhagawatham rasamaalayam,

Muhur aho
rasikaa bhuvi bhavuka.

Bhagawatham

The power that oozes out
of the wish giving tree of Vedas,

Has been mixed with
the nectar that flowed out of the mouth of sage Shuka ,

And at every moment the connoisseurs are transported to heaven.

5.Gokulam

(Lord Krishna as
a child was left by his g father in the house of Nanda Gopa and Yasoda who were kings of cowherds. The
fascinating place where Lord Krishna spent his child hood is Gokula-the place of cowherds.)

Aho Bhagyam Aho Bhagyam ,

Nanda gopa vrujowkasam,

Yan mithram paramanandam ,

Poornam Brahma
Sanathanam,

Gokulam

The luck , the very great luck ,

Is flooding the
Vruja desa of Nanda gopa ,

And his friends
are enjoying great happiness,

Which is complete
and is as old as Brahma,

6.Ayodhya

(Dasaratha was
the king of Ayodhya.Lord Vishnu took birth
as his son and lived in Ayodhya . Every dust of Ayodhya which must have
come in to contact with Lord Rama is considered
as holy by the Hindus.)

Sashtim varsha sahasarani
Kasi vaasena yath phalam,

Thath phalam nimisharthena kalou
Dasarathe purae.

Ayodhya

The effect of living in Benares for
six thousand years ,

Can be realized by living
one minute in Ayodhya during the Kali age.

7.Kasi

(Benares or
Varanasi Or Kasi is the holiest town for the Hindus.The most holy temple of
Shiva, which every Hindu wants to visit
at least once is located here.)

Aham Kasim gamishyami , tharaiva nivasamyaham,

Ithi
bruvanastham , Kasi vasa balam labeth

Benares

If one takes a decision “I will go to Kasi and live
there”,

Then he would
immediately get the result of
living in Kasi.

8.Ganga

(Ganga the life
giver to is the most sacred river in
India. Every Hindu wants to take bath in its waters. Every Hindu
wants The water of Ganga to be the last drink that he takes before leaving to heaven.)

Ganga ganga ithi yo brooyath,

Yo jananam
sathairapi ,

Muchyathe sarva papebhyo,

Vishnu lokam cha Gachathi

Ganga

If any one tells
“Ganga, Ganga”,they would get
freedom,

From all sins committed by them and go to the world
of Vishnu

9.Mani Karnika

(Mani Karnika is the Holy Ghat in Ganges and is situated
in Varanasi. Here is a great Shakthi peeth ,It is the major cremation ground
for Hindus in Varanasi.)

Viswesam , madhavam, Dundim ,

Dandapanim cha bhairavam
,

Vandhe kasim
guhaam , gangaam,

Bhavanim
Manikarnikam.

Manikarnika

Lord of Universe ,
Lord Krishna , Lord Ganesa ,

Lord
Subrahmanya and Bhairava ,

I salute the heart
of Kasi, river Ganga ,

Goddess
Bhavani and the Mani karnika.

10.Prayaga

(This is the place
in city of Allahabad where rivers
Ganga ,Yamuna and Saraswathi(an underground river) merges and flows further. A
visit to Prayaga and a dip at the confluence of the river is again dream of every Hindu.)

Sithasithe
yathra tharanga chamare ,

Nadyao vibhadarmuni
banu kanyake ,

Neelathapathram Vata
yeva saakshaath,

Sa theertha rajo jayathi
Prayaga

Prayaga

In the fan
of the tides of Ganga and Yamuna ,

The river of the daughter of the Sun God is set free ,

And it with
his dark blue colour truly
mixes .

Let the king of sacred
waters at Prayaga achieve victory.

11.Ahobilam

A series of eight temples
of Lord Narasimha is situated here .Devotees believe that Lord Narasimha
killed Hiranya Kasipu at this place
.This is a great Vaishnavite pilgrim
centre ,. This is located in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.)

Aho veeryam, aho sauryam,

Aho bahu prakrama,

Narasimha param
daivam ,

Ahobilam ahobalam.

Ahobilam

What a great valour, what a great courage

What a great
power of his hands,

The Lord Narasimha is rge greatest God,

What a great power
in Ahobilam.

12.Badarachalam

(A great Rama
Temple built by h Bhadragiri
Ramadas is located here. The temple is built on a hill top on
the banks of Godavari river. It is
located in Khammam district of the state
of Telengana)

Vamanga sthitha
Janaki parilasad, Kodanda
dandam kare,

Chakram chordhwa karena
bahu yugale, sangam saram
Dakshine,

Bibraanam jala
jatha pathra nayanam
badradri moordhni sthitham,

Keyuradhi vibhooshitham Raghu pathim saoumithri yuktham Baje,

Badrachalam

With daughter of
Janaka standing on the left, with the stick of Kodanda in his hands,

With the divine wheel in hands held high, with conch and
arrows on the left hand,

Shining with eyes
like lotus leaf, standing on the top of Badra
mountains,

And decorated by the crown on the head is Raghupathi along with Lakshmana and I sing about him.

13.Simhachalam

(This is another
great temple dedicated to Lord Narasimha and is located in the city
suburbs of Vishakapatnam. )

Jayavithatha
sankalpa sathyakama sanathana,

Jaya
Simhachaladheesa , jaya deva
namosthuthe

Simhachalam

Bent upon victory
, loving truth , who has been
forever,

Is the Lord of Simhachala , victory to him , Victory oh
God, I salute you.

14.Avanthika(Ujjain)

( This is a great
temple city of Madhya Pradesh with
a great history.The King
Vikramadhithya ruled the entire
India with Ujjain as capital
.Mahakaleswar one of the Jyothirlings in
India in located here.Once in twelve years Kumbha Mela is celebrated in this town.)

AAkase tharakam
ligam, Pathale hatakeswaram,

Marthya loke
MahakaLam ,lingathrayam upasmahe

Avanthika(Ujjain)

I honour the three
lingas viz the Linga in sky which helps us to
cross the ocean of Samsara,

The Golden God in
the nether world and Maha Kala in the
land of men.

15.Mathura

(The Father Of Lord Krishna was a king of Mathura.It was
here that Lord Krishna killed his uncle Kamsa. The city is almost full of
temples of Lord Krishna.)

Rajadhani
thathasaabhooth sarva yadava
bhoobujaam,

Mathura bhagawan
yathra nithyam sannihitho Hari

Mathura

The capital and
where exists the possessor of
all Yadavas,

Is Mathura, where
the God is present daily.

16.Jagannatham (Puri)

(Here in Puri is
the great temple of Jagannath. The head quarters of Gaudiya school of
Vaishnavism is located here..The temple has lthe idols of Jaganath, his sister
Subadhra and his elder brother Bala
Badra .The famous Chariot festival is annually conducted here.)

Jaya Krishna Jagannatha, Jaya sarvaga nasana,

Jaya leela daru roopa, Jaya abheeshta phala pradha.

Puri Jagannath

Victory to Krishna
who is the lord of universe
Victory to him who destroys all sins,

Victory to him who has a form of wood as his sport,
Victory to one who fulfills
all our desires.

17.Gadikachalam ( Sholingur)

(Sholingur or Sholavandan
is in Tamil Nadu and on the top of a huge hill is the Temple of Lord Narasimha. To subside his anger after killing Hiranya
Kasipu Lord Narasimha is supposed to have remained in a yogic pose for 24 minutes(Gadika) and that is why this temple is called Gadikachalam.)

Gadikachala bhoobhage , gadikamapi yo vaseth,

SAptha janma krutham papam, thath kshanatheva nasyathi

Sholingur

If one lives at least for twenty four minutes in Sholingur

The sins that he
committed in seven births would be
destroyed in that instant.

18.Venkatachalam

(The holiest of the holies is the Mountain THirumala at Thirupathi where Lord Venkadachalapathy
has a huge temple .The annual income of this temple is the largest in India..The God is called
Balaji in noreth and Yezhumalayan in
Tamil Nadu )

Venkadadhri samam sanathanam,

Brahmande nasthi
kinchana ,

Venkatesa samo DEvo,

Na bhootho na
bhavishyathi.

Thirupathi

In this universe
there is nothing ,

As ancient as
the Venkata mountains
,

And there is no
God equal to Venkatesa,

Either in
the past
or in the future.

19.Pandurangam

(Pandharpur in Maharashtra is another great center for devotion to Lord Krishna. They are prefer to worship him in the form of the Lord
Standing on a brick and holding his hip
with both hands .The great book Bhktha
vijayam is mostly about devotees to
Pandarinatha.)

Maa yatha pandhaa,
pathi bheema radhya,

Digambara kopi
thamala Neela,

Vinayastha haathobhi nithamb bimbe,

Dhoortha samakarshathi
chitha vitham.

Pandharpur

Without getting subdued
is that wanderer in the streets of Bheema ,

Who has a blue
complexion as if he is dressed in the
sky ,

And standing putting his hands on his hips
,

Would protect us
from evil people and would gave
us wealth that our mind wants.

20.Kalahasthi

(Kalahasthi is a very famous Shiva temple near Thirupathi, dedicated to Vayu.A lamp lit in the sanctum with no windows keeps on waving here .It is also a
place where Santhi for Rahu and Kethu
can be done.)

Paschimapi mukham lingam ,

Sarpakara vasthitham,

SAkruth darasana
mathrena,

KOti janmaga
nasanam.

Kalahasthi

The Linga there
faces west ,

Whose body was
decorated by a serpent,

And as soon as
good man sees it,

The sins he had
done in crores of birth would be destroyed.

21.Kanchi(Vishnu kanchi)

(Kanchipuram is an ancient Indian city and it has been told “Nagareshu Kanchi”.It is a city full of great
temples.The Vidshnu Kanchi is the place
of Vishnu temples .The most prominent
among them is the temple of Lord Varadaraja. Great Vaishnavite saints were
born in this place)

Vapaa parimalollasa vasitha dara
pallavam,

Mukham varada
rajasya mukdha smitha mupasmahe.

The Vaishnavite
part of Kanchipuram

I worship the
pleasant smiling face of the Varadaraja

Who has a scented blossom of
great splendour on his navel .

22.Ekambaram (shiva Kanchi)

(The shaivaite
part of Kanchi houses the celebrated
Kamakshi temple which also has the
temple of Ekamra natha. Thehead
quarters of the Kama koti Mutt of Adhi
Sankara is located here.)

Kamakshi vallabham
devam kamaneeya kalebaram,

Ye namanthi krup sindhum thesham nasthi punarbhava

The Shaivite part of Kanchipuam

He who
salutes the consort of Kamkashi, who
has a pretty body,

And who is the
ocean of mercy, will not have a
rebirth.

23.Arunachalam
(THiruvannamalai)

(THiruvannamalai
or Arunachala Mountain is the
place where Agni Linga of God is situated..The mountain itself is supposed to be God himself.Every Pournami day Lalkhs of people do Pradakshina to the
mountain.)

Darasanadh abra sadasi , jananath kamalalaye ,

Kasyam maranaan mukthi, smaranath Arunachale

Seeing Chidambaram, Being born in Thirivarur,Dying in Benares and just thinking of Thiruvannamalai
would lead to salvation.

24.Sri Mushnam

(Sri Mushnam is a small town in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.The God in this temple
is Bhoovarahan.The God is in standing position and faces the wesr but his face faces south.)

Nama swetha varahaya Sri Mushna nilayaya cha,

JIllikavana vasaya
Sri Mushna Brahmane nama.

Sri Mushnam

Salutations to the white Varaha
who is in Sri Mushnam,

Who lives in the forest of crickets and I salute the
God of Srimushna

25.Chidambaram

(Possibly the greatest Shiva temple
in Tamil Nadu.The Akasa Linga is in this temple.The :Lord stands in a dancing pose and is called Lord Natarajar.
Deekshithars who have tuft inb front do
worship in this temple as well as
maintain it.)

Chidamabaram ithi brooyath sakrujjanana
varjitham,

Mukthi gandarava padam , moksha eva na
samsaya.

Chidambaram

If Good people just say once Chidambaram,
they will not have further birth,

And that
word coming from throat would
lead to salvation without any doubt.

26.Vaidyanatham

(Lord Vaitheeswaean of Vaitheeswaran koil in Tamil Nadu is considered as the God of doctors. This
temple is located near Mayavaram(Mayiladu thurai) of Tamil Nadu.)

Balambikesa Vaidhyesa, bhava roga harethi cha,

Japen nama thrayam nithyam
maha roga nivaranam

Vaitheeswaran Koil

Balambika and king of doctors cure the disease of birth death cycle ,

If this is repeated thrice with devotion , all
great diseases would be cured.

27.Mayuram

(Mayuram
or Mayiladuthurai is the place
where the river Cauvery joins the
sea.The God here is called Mayuranathar. The Goddess appears as a peacock )

Bhaktha abhayapradha karambubam Aadhi
devam,

Mukthaa paragasith charu pavithra keethim,

Keyura hara kadakadhi vibhooshanadyam,

Mayuranadha manisam manasa
smarami

Mayiladuthurai

That primrval God whose
lotus like hand gives protection
to devotees,

Is spreadsding his holy and pretty fame escape and spread ,

And he is seen to wear crown, garland, bangles and other ornaments,

And I
always think with my mind that
Mayuresa.

28.Madhyarjunam

(Madhyarjunam called in Tamil is Thiruvidai marudur is one
of the seven biggest temples in
Tamil Nadu. The God there is
called Mahalingeswarar.It is located in
THanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. Shiva is believed to have appeared as a flame to pleaseAgastyaand
other sages who were performing penance. Shiva is said to have emanated from
the heart of Parvathi. It is also believed that several other deities likeRudra ,Vinayaga ,Murugan ,Parvathi ,Kali ,Lakshmi ,Saraswathi ,Brahma ,Airavata(the elephant of celestial kingIndra
) andVishnu worshipped Mahalingaswamy)

Souryena vaa , Sankara
sevayaa vaa ,

SAthodhari sangama
vanchaya vaa ,

Pumsam ushithwa punar eka rathram,

Madhyarjune nasthi
sareera bandha.

Thiruvidaimarudur

Either due to Sun or due to service of
Sankara

Or due
to wish to meet the thin bellied
one ,

If
the people stayed again for one more night,

In Thiruvidai marudur, they would leave
their attachment to body.

29.Kumbakonam

(Kumbakonam is virtually a city of temples in THanjavur district .Unless you visit the city possibly you may not be even to able imagine the several
mega temples there. It is believed
that when the Pot of nectar was being carried by the Devas they kept it
in Kumbakonam. In that spot there is a
Mahamaha tank where every twelve
years a Mahamham is celebrated. )

Yo nara Kumbakonesmin kshanardham api
thishtathi,

Karastham thasya kaivalyam
kimudhanya vibhudaya.

Kumbakonam

Any man who happens to stay in Kumbakonam for more
than half a second,

He
would get in his hand the
salvation and what is the need for any other powers

30.Sauri Rajam

( This temple near Trichy town on the
banks of Kollidam river in a place
called THiru Anbil.)

Uthpalavathake ramyem,

Vimane pushkarekshanam,

Saurirajam aham vandhe
,

Sada sarvanga Sundaram

Sundara
Perumal koil (THiru Anbil)

I salute the king of king of the mighty ones,

Who is always prettiness
all over his body,

Who is with pretty forest of lotuses,

And with tower and sacred
bathing tank

31,Swetharanyam(Thiruvenkadu)

(This Shiva temple is located near Sirkazhi of Tamil nadu,The town
has three bog temples and three scared
water tanks.The God in the Shiva
temple is called Aghora murthy
, a very angry form of Lord Shiva.

NImisham nimishardham vaa,

SWetharanye vasen nara,

Vidhootha sarva papathma,

Shivalokam cha Gachathi

If any human being lives in
THiruvenkadu,

For a minute or even half a minute,

Would get removed of all their sins,

And would go to the land of Shiva.

32.Valmeeka Kshethram (Thiruvarur)

(Lord Shiva called as Thyagaraja is
worshipped here as Moola nathar and his idol is referred to as Maragatha
lingam.The consort of Shiva in this temple is called Kamalambikai. The God is believed to perform
Ajapathaanam i.e dancing without
chanting.)

Thyagaraja maharaja sevaya kim labhyathe,

Yekam na labhyathe janma janani klesa
karanam

Thiruvarur

Oh Thyagaraja , What do we get by serving
a king,

One
thing you will not get which will be the cause

Of trouble to your mother who gave you birth.

33,Vedaranyam

(This place in Tamil Nadu was earlier known as
THirumaraikadu and has an ancient
temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.Devotees
believe that after killing Ravana lOrd Rama visited this place to get rid of the sin of killing a
Brahmin,.His foot print is preserved in a place called “Ramar Padam” in Vedaranyam.)

Vedaranyam Veda theertham kotim cha manikarnikam,

Ramanatham vidangesam skandam
, Kalyana sundaram,

HUmkara Vignarajam cha Veena vaadha vidhooshinim ,

Chinthayeth pratrhar uthaya sarva papo upasanthaye.

Vedaranyam

The Sacred Veda water of Vedaranyam is equal to one crore Manikarnika,

(This referes to the temple town of
Thirukadayur near MayavaramDevotees believ
that the Devas brought the pot of nectar(called Amrutha ) here and kept. The god is called Amrutha Ghateswarar and the goddess is called
Abhirami ,Devotees believe that Lord Yama
was killed by Lord Shiva in this place
to save Markandeya.)

Mruthyunjaya rudraya , Neelakandaya Shambhave
,

Amruthesaya sarvaya
Mahadevaya they nama.

Thirukkadayur

Salutations to Lord who has won over Yama , Rudra , Lord
with blue neck,

Shambhu, God of nectar , Sarva as well as the greatest God.

35,Thejini vana

(The Oppiliappan temple is situated hin this place which is the part of Kumbakonam. Oppiliyappan meaning
a matchless form of God is Lord Venkidachalapathy
himself. He is also called as Uppiliappan because in the kitchen of the temple salt is not used. Those offerings within the
temple are tastey but once you come out
you would feel absence of salt.)

Akasa nagareesaya Panasaranya vasine ,

Nethrarpana pureesaya Thejineesaya
nama

Thiruvinnagaram

Oh lord of the city of the sly who lives in
forest of jack fruits,

Oh Lord of the city where eyes were
dedicated to God,Salutations to God who shines.

36.Sri Vanchiyam

( This is the temple of Lord Shiva situated
in Thiruvarur district of Tamilnadu . The God here is called
Vanchinathar .Lord Yama dissatisfied with his job is supposed to have
done penance here.It Seems Lord Shiva
who was pleased gave him a boon that
though Yama takes the life, people would attribute to illnesses ,
accident etc andnever blame him.)

Sri vanchyesa dhaya sara
Namasthe bhaktha vathsala,

Nama ssarvrvaya they
thubhyam Nama sivatharaya they

THiruvanchiyam

Oh God of
Thiruvanchiyam, juice of mercy,
Salutations to Lord who loves his devotees,

Salutation to Sarva , I
salute you Shivathara.

37.Pancha Nadam

(This is a temple town
near Thanjavur called Thiruvayyaru as five rivers flow through the town. The God in the temple is called Panchanadheeswarar. The
great Musical trinity of Tamil Nadu lived in this town.)

Panchapakesa japyesa,
pranatharthi haredhisa,

Japen nama thrayam
nithyam Punarjanma na vidhyatha

Thiruvayyaru

Oh Lord whose hairs are
the five rivers, The Lord of chanting , The God who destroys suffering of the soul,

Whosoever chants
these three names
daily will not have another birth

38.Dakshina Dwaraka

(this temple town is known
as Mannargudi and is near THanjavur , The presiding God is called as
Rajagopalaswamy, This temple which is a
important Vaishnavite pilgrim
centre is referred to as the
Dwaraka of the south.)

Samvthsaram , shan masam ,

Masam masardha meva vaa
,

Dakshina dwarka vasi ,

Naronari chathurbujas

Mannargudi

Either a year or six
months ,

Or month or fortnight ,

If men and women stay,

In the southern Dwaraka ,

They will attain the four handed Vishnu

39.Rameswaram

(Rameswaram is a temple town situated in the banks of the ocean.Lord Rama after
killing Ravana is supposed to
have come back here , consecrated the Idol of Ramanatha Swamy and worshipped
him. The Ambition of the devotees of the North India is to visit this
temple once in their life time. There
are 64 THeerthas(sacred water wells) in
the temple.)

Namo DEvadhidevaya , Ramanadhaya
sakshine ,

Namo Vedantha Vedyaya,
Yoginaam padha dhayine

Rameswaram

Salutations to God of Gods
who is witness to Ramanatha ,

Salutations to him who is studied by Vedas who gives the
position of Yogi to us.

40,Sethu

(This is the bridge which was buikt by Rama to go
to Sri Lanka. The remnants of the bridge could be seen even now .)

Ganyanthe pamsavo
bhoomou ,

Ganyanthe dhivi tharaka,

Sethu darasanajam punyam,

Seshenobhi ganyathe
.

Sethu

Take notice
of the heaps on the earth ,

Take notice of the
stars on the sky,

The seeing of Sethu is a blessed deed,

And this has been even
counted by Adhi sesha

41,Danushkodi

(This is the place
Rama did penance to the God of the ocean
so that he can cross the sea. When he
did not come, it seems Lord Rama took his
Bow and wanted to n arrow at the God of the sea Dhanush kodi means tip
of the bow.)

Ramena yaa kruthaa
regadha dhanusha kshara sagare ,

Mukthi thath darsana devas na jane snanajam balam.

Danushkodi

The line was drawn by Rama
using his bow in the salty ocean,

And seeing it we would get salvation and even Devas to not know the greatness of bath there.

42.Dharba sayanam

(This place is the place where Lord Rama lay down on a bed of Dhurbha to do penance
to summon the God of the ocean . There is a great Shiva temple with Emerald Nataraja in this place,.)

DArbha sayin namasthubhyam
, garbha vasa nivaraka,

SAmudhra raja garvagna .
SAdhaa mangala dhayaka.

Ramanatha puram

I salute him who slept on
Dharma, who defended living in the womb,

Who destroyed pride of
ocean of the king and who always blesses
us with auspiciousness.

43.Athmanadha

(This temple is located in
tHiruperumthurai in Pudukottai districe of Tamil Nadu.Lord Shiva is supposed to
be present as a LInga, as a formless God
and with a form of tree in this temple.
Only a seat of the LInga is seen in the sanctum of the temple. The Lord is
supposed to be present here as Athma and
is called Athmanathar.)

Athmandha jagat swamin, Athmesa karunakara,

Arogyam dehi may nithyam,
Dehi may sarva sanpatha.

Avudayarkoil

Oh Lord of the soul , God
of the soul, doer of mercy,

Give me health daily, Please give me all prosperity

44.Anantha sayanam

(this refers to Anatha
Padmanabha Swamy temple in Trivandrum, the capital ctity of Kerala. The God is
seen sleeping on Adhi Sesha in this temple. The kinfg ofancore was ruling Travancore as the servant of this
God.Even todauy he daily visits the
temple)

SAhasra moorthaye thubhyam . Anantha phani sayine,

SAhasra namne Haraye . purushaya
namo nama.

Trivandrum
Ananthapadmanabha Swami

You have one thousand
form, Oh K Lord who lies down on sepent
Adhi sesha ,

(THiruvelveli Nellayappar
temple is a temple dedicated Lord Shiva
in Thirunelveli town of Tamilnadu . The name of the Goddess is Kanthimathi .
The temple is situated on the shores of Tambravarni river .The temple initially was in the middle of a Bamboo forest and so it was earlier known as Venu vanam)

Venu gulma samudhbhootham,
Thamraparni thatalayam,

SAlivaddeswaram nathwa,
nara Kailasa bag bhaveth.

THirunelveli ,

Oh Lord who rose from Bamboo bush , who has temple in
banks of THamraparni ,

When I salute Nellaippar , The Man would go and participate in Kailasa

46.Halasyam

(Halasyam is another name for the city of Madurai in
Tamil Nadu. The God is known as
Sundareswarar or Halasya nathar .Halasya is
another name to Halahala poison
which came out of ocean of milk when it
was churned.)

Halasya pura nadhaya, Neelakandaya Shambhave
,

Meenakshi pathaye
thubhyam, namo Mangala DHayine

Madurai

Oh Lord of city of Madurai who has a blue neck and Who is Shambhu,

I salute you the consort of Meenakshi, who grants us auseciousness.

47.TRisira giri

(Tiruchirapalli is another great temple of Tamil Nadu. On a hill top in the town is the Mathrubhootheswarar temple.On the hill there is also a Ganesa temple known as Uchi pillayar.)

Mathrubhootheswaro devo,
Bhakthanam ishta dhayaka,

Sugandhi Kunthalaa nadhaa
Sankara Chandra Shekara

Tiruchinapali

Oh God who took the form of mother, who fulfills the wishes
of devotees,

(In the Srirangam island
in Tiruchirapalli town is another great
temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Since
water keeps on coming near the LInga ,
it is considered as Appu Linga .The famed Goddess Akhilandeswari is also
situated there.)

Kshethram
Gajaranyamidham pavithram,

Gathram punas
thyakthvathaam na gathram ,

Gathram yadhi syath thad yugma
nethram,

Gothrathma
jalangrutha vama gathram.

THiruvanaikaval

In the temple of the
elephant forest which is holy,

Where the God gave up his body and became one with no body,

But had he been there he
would have pair of eyes ,

And he had a pleasant body decorated by The
Goddess born in high family.

49.Sri Rangam

(The greatest temple of
Tamil Nadu Vaishnavites is located in an
island created by two rivers Cauvery and Kollidam. The deity is called Sri Ranga Nadhar and is supposed to
be the Idol which in ancient times was
worshipped by Lord Rama. This temple
again is in Thiruchirapalli town.)

Desanthara gatho
vapi dweepanthara gatho
bi vaa ,

Sri Ranga abimugo bhoothwa
pranipathya na seedhathi

Sri Rangam

Whether we have gone to
foreign lands or we have gone
to foreign islands,

We are in the habit of facing
Sri Rangam when we salute.

50,Cauvery

(The holiest of the rivers
in Tamil Nadu which is its life line
.gOddess Cauvery is also worshipped by people of Coorg as their Kula Deivam)

Kaveri thoyam masrithya
vatho yathra pravarthathe ,

Thad desa vasinam
mukthi kimu thatheera
vasinam.

Cauvery

When the wind blows in places where people depend on water
of Cauvery,

The people living
there attain salvation , What of tose
who live in the banks of Cauvery.

51,Vibhoothi

(The sacred ash which all
Shaivites apply as a holy and divine
mark. Normally it o is prepared by
burning cow dung on Shiva rathri days.)

Vibhoodhe renu
mathrena sarvanga manu lepitham,

Roma roma bhaveth lingam ,
thath sareeram Shivalayam,

Sacred ash.

Even if a a small particle
of sacred ash is applied all over the body.

There would be Shiva linga
in each hair pore and his body would be
temple of Shiva.

52.Rudaraksham

(Rudraksha is
scared seed of a sacred tree .It
is used by followers of Lord Shiva to
wear as well as as a rosary .)

Rudraksham masthaketh
druthwa, nithyam snanam karothi ya ,

Ganga snana phalam prapya muchyathe , na eka samsaya.

Rudraaksha

If one keeps a Rudraksha
on his head and daily takes bath ,

Without any doubt
whatsoever , he would get the effect of taking bath in Ganga

53.Salagramam

(These are stones found in the river Gandaki in Nepal.
Most of the stomes are divine in nature
and indicate a certain God.They are used
for Worship all over India.)

Aham Pasupathischiva Viswaruda
Sakalamara ,

Saligrama shila
chakre nivasamo yadha sukham,.

Salagrama stone

Lord Shiva , Lord Brahma
and all other devas ,

Live in the wheel of
Saligrama with great joy.

54.THulasi

( This is a scared
plant worshipped by all Hindus. It is
believed the plant is the earthly manifestation of Goddess THulasi
who is a consort of Lord Vishnu.)

Yan moole sarva theerthani
. yan madhye sarva devatha ,

Yad kare sarva vedamsa thulasim thaam namamyaham.

Thulasi (sacred basil)

Since all sacred
waters are in its roots , All devas live in its middle ,

And since it holds all
the Vedas , I salute the Thulasi.

55.Bilva

(It is a scred tree
dedicated to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva gets greatly please if its leaves are used to worship him.)

Tridalam trigunakaram ,
trinethram cha thrayayusham,

Trijanma papa samharam
, Eka bilvam sivarpanam

Bilwa(Aegle marmelos)

I offer one leaf of Bilwa to Lord Shiva,Which has three leaves,Which causes three qualities,Which are like the three eyes of Shiva,Which is like the triad of weapons,

And which destroys sins of three births.

56.Aswatham

(This is the holy tree to all Hindus. Previously they used to be grown in all Hindu villages )

My salutations to the king of trees.Whose root is the form of Brahma,Middle is the form of Lord Vishnu,And top is the form of Lord Shiva.

57.Ekadasi

(The eleventh lunar day is considered as a day suitable for penance by all Hindus .Religios people do not take food during that day. There are very many stories about great
devotees who observed this penance.)